When Deloitte, a global professional services firm, set out to find a new building to house its Amsterdam office, it wanted one that would change the world, as well as comply with the European Union’s (EU’s) Energy Performance of Buildings Directive 2010/31/EU.
The result is the Edge, said to be one of the world’s greenest and most efficient office buildings, with a Dutch Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology (BREEAM-NL) sustainability rating of just over 98 percent, the highest ever awarded at the time. Deloitte’s building employs the Internet of Things (IoT), or devices other than computers or smartphones that are connected to the Internet, to make every aspect of the structure smarter.
This technology helps make the experience inside this building unique. The Edge’s sensors recognize each employee on arrival, and through a custom smartphone app, assign each person a workspace for the day based on their schedule. Its IoT-enabled lighting means each workstation can have custom light settings, which change for each employee based on their pre-determined preferences. The custom lighting panels are connected to 28,000 sensors throughout the building, monitoring motion, visible light, temperature, humidity, and infrared light.
PJP Architecture, which designed the Edge, said the combination of the mobile application and the building’s architecture supports activity-based working: employees deliberately choose the location and ambience they want to work in for different tasks throughout the day.
In addition to possessing these smart capabilities, the Edge is a net-zero energy building. With the support of large-scale IoT systems, energy use is monitored and optimized in real time. Further, the building collects rainwater for internal plumbing fixtures and its solar panels generate 102 percent of the building’s energy.
In his article for The Construction Specifier, Adrian Thomas, vice-president of Schneider Electric Canada’s building division, explains how the Edge is an example of successful data-management and interoperability, future-proofing, and cybersecurity preparedness—three principal considerations when planning for IoT capability.
What else should we take into account when employing IoT in a building? We’d love to hear from you!